From Demon King to Dharma Protector

On February 13, 2019, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, Venerable HaiZe conducted an interview with Venerable Yongning. Once a powerful Demon King, Venerable Yongning sought deliverance through the compassion of Practitioner Su and now resides at the centre, dedicating his life to the Dharma and assisting in the delivery of sentient beings.

Venerable Yongning speaks:

"I have been waiting here for a long time. I am willing to share my personal experience as a mirror for everyone to reflect upon.

I was born in a fishing village approximately four thousand nine hundred to five thousand years ago. I was originally kind and intelligent, using my knowledge of the Dharma to serve sentient beings and relieve their suffering. I was particularly skilled in observing celestial phenomena. Unexpectedly, I aroused the jealousy of a fellow disciple who poisoned me in the water. I died with a heart full of intense resentment. The moment I breathed my last, I immediately broke through the barriers of space and was sucked into a world of darkness, entering the Demon Realm. It was not until I met Practitioner Su that I finally had the strength to escape that realm. The various conditions of the Demon Realm are mentioned in the book; its internal state is something ordinary people cannot fathom. I write this in the hope that it will serve as a warning to all.

A Tragic Origin and the Demon Realm

I spent over four thousand years in the Demon Realm, witnessing many strange and extraordinary things. Many people in the human world are selfish, stubborn, and unwilling to improve. They are arrogant, conceited, and trapped in complex webs of resentment, love, and hatred. They are addicted to desires, gambling, and greed—all of which are the favourite pastimes of the demon crowds. Because the demons themselves were once victims of these very things before entering the Demon Realm, they understand the human psyche perfectly. They know how to sabotage and manipulate people to vent their own inner hatred.

In the Demon Realm, I started from the bottom and worked my way up, step by step, until I became a Demon King, leading countless demon children and grandchildren. I told myself that I would only teach lessons to those who committed evil deeds; I would never be disrespectful to those who performed good deeds, especially those engaged in Buddhist work. Even though other Demon Kings mocked me, calling me cowardly and lacking boldness, I did not agree.

The Struggle Within

I was captured by the Demon Realm because of a single moment of anger and resentment. Once inside, it is incredibly difficult to turn one's life around, and the demon nature within one's heart is constantly reinforced, expanded, and amplified. However, I used my own meditative concentration to restrain this demon nature and evil tendencies, refusing to be controlled by external circumstances. As a Demon King, I led my followers with this same philosophy, and to my surprise, I was deeply loved by them. Thus, I can bear witness to one thing: even if the appearance of these beings makes people feel repulsed and their behaviour causes disgust and unease, what I saw was the inherent kindness within their hearts. It was only because of the twists of fate that they lost their rationality for a moment, feeling helpless and powerless, which led them into the Demon Realm. We must not let this erase the truly kind side that still exists within them.

Time passes so quickly. Looking back, whether it has been five thousand years or four thousand, it has all vanished in the blink of an eye. In an instant, the present era arrived. Our group set our sights on the practitioner whom the world respects and worships, Venerable Master Chin Kung, because we saw the parts of his heart that were not truly aligned. We were originally the demon crowds surrounding him, and we had no intention of harming him, because I insisted that as long as someone is doing Buddhist work with a sincere heart to save sentient beings, we must not harm them. However, a dark spot in the Master's heart continued to expand, giving us an opportunity to enter his body.

The Light of Hsiang Kuang

For many years, we made his body our home. If he wanted to do good, to lecture on the sutras and teach the Dharma for the sake of sentient beings, and if he kept kind thoughts, we would remain still. But the moment his heart moved with evil thoughts or the desire to do wrong, we—who were gathered in his chest—would all strike his heart together, making him feel chest tightness and even weakness. Some demons would even move to his legs, making them feel heavy and unable to walk. This was the karmic retribution he was due. It was not just us; other beings were also involved, allowing him to suffer the consequences of his actions.

Then came a period when many beings within him—some of whom were beings whose suffering he had taken on, and others who were his own karmic creditors or attached spirits—began to leave constantly. Some of the demons from his body went there and never returned; we lost contact with them. Later, we learned that the place was called the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, established by his disciple, Practitioner Su. Her meditative concentration was extraordinary; any being, especially a demon, who went there would inevitably be subdued. During that time, some of the demons in Venerable Master Chin Kung's body, refusing to admit defeat, went to investigate and also never returned. This caused panic in the Demon Realm, as such a situation had never been seen before.

Surrender and Redemption

I decided to go and investigate myself. As soon as I approached the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, I knew this was no ordinary place. It radiated a gentle yet incomparably bright Buddha-light, unlike any other light I had ever seen. When that light shone upon me, the demon nature within me was weakened by more than half. When I stood before Practitioner Su, her body-light astonished me. In four or five thousand years, I had never seen a human with such radiance, yet it felt strangely familiar. Upon careful reflection, I remembered that when Shakyamuni Buddha was in the human world, the lay practitioner Vimalakirti had cultivated Buddha-light just like Shakyamuni Buddha's while still a layperson. At that time, I was already a Demon King and had gone to investigate him. This light was exactly like that Buddha-light. I never expected that three thousand years later, I would see it again at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia!

Although I was astonished, as a Demon King, I could not show weakness. Even though Practitioner Su kindly urged me to turn towards goodness and invited me to take refuge under Namo Amituofo, I had not brought my other followers with me, and I could not abandon them. Therefore, I did not accept her advice at that time. After I returned, a force within my heart kept driving me to return and listen to her. I had never felt such a sensation before. So, I gave the order, and all the demon children and grandchildren followed me to Practitioner Su.

A New Life as a Dharma Protector

When I appeared again, Practitioner Su, in her compassion, sent the immeasurable and boundless number of demon followers I brought into the Western Dharma-Nature Land at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. As for me, I discarded my name from the Demon Realm and took the new name 'Shi Yongning,' becoming a Dharma-protecting monk who has surrendered to the seat of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. Since then, I have become one of the countless beings who have been subdued and transformed by her compassion and majestic power.

Practitioner Su, not wishing to abandon me, allows me to stay by her side during the morning Dharma Body Chao Du, listening to her orders at any time and assisting in delivering sentient beings to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am also able to listen to the lectures and hear the Dharma together with the fourfold assembly, understanding the philosophy of the Dharma. I have been deeply transformed, and to this day, I am proud to be a disciple of the Buddha with the surname 'Shi'!

Because I once entered the Demon Realm, I can empathise more deeply with the suffering of sentient beings during the Chao Du process conducted by Practitioner Su. Many times, beings cannot control themselves, torn between good and evil. If they cannot overcome the demon nature in their hearts, various evil thoughts often arise, causing them physical and mental suffering. Many kind words, and even the compassionate Buddha-name, are difficult to use to resolve their hearts, leading them to go astray and suffer immensely! I can understand and empathise with their pain, urging them to change, to let go of the suffering they have been clinging to, and to chant Namo Amituofo so that they may be delivered by Practitioner Su to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Therefore, during this interview, I have offered some of what I have seen and heard during Chao Du, along with my own humble insights, hoping they might be of some help to everyone. That would be my way of repaying the Buddha's kindness and the kindness of Practitioner Su!

I will continue to do my utmost to support the temple, Practitioner Su, and the fourfold assembly. Namo Amituofo!"